A San Francisco family discovered they had been keeping the wrong person's ashes in their home for three years, due to a misidentification.
A man was discovered to have died from a drug overdose outside the Dahlia Hotel in San Francisco's Tenderloin District in May 2021 and the San Francisco Medical Examiner identified the deceased as James Robinson, whose family requested he be cremated. The family had the ashes in an urn on an altar in their East Bay home for three years.
However, when a friend saw the presumed dead Robinson walking in the Tenderloin District earlier this year, it became clear there had been a mix-up. Robinson was then tracked down by his daughter in July of this year and the pair reunited.
Subsequent DNA testing then revealed the true identity of the deceased—a man named Jacob Bruce Chrisinger. His family were only told about his death in early November
Newsweek has emailed the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office for comment..
"I spent the last three years looking for him, searching halfway houses, rehabilitation programs, hospitals and jails," Chrisinger's brother Charles Hine told NBC Bay Area News.
Chrisinger had a history of drug abuse and mental illness, leading his family to wonder if that was the reason why the medical examiner based his identification of the bodies on the statements of employees at the Dahlia Hotel and not more scientific methods.
"Maybe he was just a drug addict to them, but to me he was my brother," Hine said.
Chrisinger's sister, Katieann Lowther, also spoke to NBC Bay Area News, saying that the misidentification was the result of DNA testing not being performed.
"You shouldn't be misidentified because they failed to do a DNA test, they failed to have the family come down and identify him."
Lowther also added that there were noticeable physical differences between the two men, such as the fact her brother, Chrisinger, was 5 foot 5 inches and Robinson was "way taller."
"We extend our sincere condolences to Jacob Chrisinger's loved ones and family, and we are grateful for the Department of Justice for their assistance on the case," the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said in a statement to NBC.
As for Robinson, after he was tracked down by his daughter it is understood that he refused to go to rehab and has disappeared again.
Some of Robinson's friends said they have seen him since his second disappearance.
However, his daughter, Kylie Robinson, has not seen her father since, but told NBC Bay Area that she goes to search for him on weekends.
In terms of whether either family can seek legal action for their trauma, Californian legal analyst Steven Clark told NBC it would be a "tricky" case due to governmental immunities.
"But at the same time, you have to appreciate what these families went through," Clark added.
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